coral

Proposed marine protected areas will cover just 30% of the UK’s deep sea coral reefs and 3% of the sponge fields, according to the first-ever set of maps detailing where vulnerable deep-sea habitats are likely to be found in the North East Atlantic.

Corals in the genus Acropora generate much of the structural complexity upon which coral reefs depend, but they are susceptible to damage from toxic seaweeds. Acropora nasuta minimises this damage by chemically calling goby fishes who within minutes start chomping on the seaweed.